McDonald's Popular New Sandwich Is Already a 'Billion Dollar Brand', Company Says
McDonald's signature fried chicken sandwich, the McCrispy, is still somewhat of a newcomer on the chain's permanent menu. But the company says that in the roughly two short years that it has been available, that sandwich has already become a "billion dollar brand."
Not to be confused with McDonald's older chicken sandwich—the McChicken—the basic McCrispy is a southern-style fried chicken sandwich topped with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a toasted, buttered potato roll. The deluxe version of the sandwich adds on shredded lettuce, roma tomatoes, and mayo. There's also a Spicy McCrispy, available in both basic and deluxe versions, that comes with a spicy pepper sauce.
McDonald's developed the McCrispy in response to the raging chicken sandwich wars set in motion when Popeyes launched its wildly popular fried chicken sandwich in 2019. It's currently available in the United States and some of McDonald's other major markets across worldwide, from the United Kingdom to Australia.
The sandwich has now proven itself as a super lucrative menu item for McDonald's. In an earnings call with investors on Oct. 30, chief financial officer Ian Borden announced that the McCrispy continues to drive growth for McDonald's and is now a "billion dollar brand" for the company.
This isn't the first time McDonald's has emphasized the importance of the McCrispy for the overall brand. When the sandwich first debuted in 2021, McDonald's initially called it the "Crispy Chicken Sandwich." Then in March 2023, the chain announced that it was officially renaming the sandwich to give it the special "Mc" stamp of honor. To celebrate the name change, McDonald's also temporarily launched two new flavor variations of the sandwich, the Bacon Ranch McCrispy and Bacon Ranch Deluxe McCrispy.
That simple tweak helped McDonald's rake in even more success. In another McDonald's earnings call back in April, Borden said the name change and the limited edition versions of the sandwich helped drive "double-digit sales growth."
The continued McCrispy success is good news for Accelerating the Arches, McDonald's wide-ranging growth strategy. A key pillar of the strategy is finding new ways to bring core menu items to life, including building on the success of the McCrispy and other chicken items. As part of the strategy, McDonald's predicted that chicken would be a "growth driver," which means we can likely expect more chicken-centric limited-time offerings from the chain in the coming year.
The McCrispy news rounded out a quarter for McDonald's marked by both success and difficulty. In the quarter that ended on Sept. 30, the chain beat analyst expectations on both revenue and same-store sales. But McDonald's also revealed that traffic had declined because consumers who make less than $45,000 per year have frequented fewer restaurants across the entire industry due to higher prices and interest rates.
"We're just going to need to continue to keep a close eye on that $45,000 and under consumer because of the pressure that they're feeling there and make sure that we're offering value, but hopefully the industry stays disciplined as well on pricing," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said.
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